Grammar Moses: Firstly, just make it 'first'

Many moons ago, Jacqueline Jablonski of Naperville asked me to address the hot topic of enumerations.

Her correspondence sat in my overstuffed mailbag, unaddressed on this page until she decided to tweak me on a gaffe in a recent column.

First, her query: "I asked if you'd address the use of 'Firstly, secondly and thirdly' in your column. I could scream when I read or hear journalists, businessmen, authors and clergymen use these terms. First, it sounds unintelligent. Second, it sounds weak. And third, I just don't get it. Why add the 'ly'?"

I've left out the humorous parts of her note, because I fear my bon mots would look inferior.

First, it's unnecessary to use an -ly suffix. Second, it has an air of haughtiness to it that I find unappealing. Third, what happens when you take it to the extreme: eighthly, ninthly, tenthly?

Leaders in the word world generally find "first," "second" and "third" to be superior to their longer adverbial cousins.

Now for Jacqueline's critique: "Can you really 'distinguish between one or more' things? We can try to distinguish between two things, or even a number of things. But you can't distinguish between 'one thing.'

Good catch, Jacqueline.

Out of range

Marty Robinson of Prospect Heights is retired from a career in broadcasting at WFMT and WTTW, two outfits that take language seriously.

He asked about the pesky issue of subject-verb agreement.

"I am frequently irritated to see in print or hear on air a locution similar to this one: 'There are a whole range of issues.' Surely the subject is 'range,' which takes a singular verb, no?"

Marty is spot on.

Too often, writers and speakers see "issues" and apply a plural verb form, not realizing that "range" is the subject.

Pop tops

When I was a child, I was surrounded by people who played with words as if it were an Olympic sport. It's no wonder I ended up doing this.

My Aunt Joyce and Uncle Rudy would spar with puns across the dinner table. My dad, a newspaper editor, would goodnaturedly argue with me over I versus me and subject-verb agreement. Even Mom, who wrote obits for a spell, joined the fray.

Wordplay was as strong a thread in the fabric of my relationship with my dad as home carpentry, driving trips in the desert and the Watergate hearings.

Happy Father's Day, Pop.

Write carefully!

• Jim Baumann is vice president/managing editor of the Daily Herald. Write him at jbaumann@dailyherald.com. Put Grammar Moses in the subject line. You also can friend or follow Jim at facebook.com/baumannjim.